What Did You Do In The War Thanasi? Film Difficulty Ranking: 2
Time for a Greek comedy! What Did You Do in the War Thanasi is all about the extremely energetic and slapstick Thanasi. As much as he tries not to, you just know that trouble is going to end up finding him. For a fun and easy night in, watch this film with a free trial on Amazon Prime Video.
Why Watch this Film?
- For something light and funny (something we need more of on FilmRoot)
- It’s our first Greek film set in Greece (see The Lobster for more Greek films)
- If you liked Life is Beautiful or Closely Watched Trains and want to see another WW2 comedy
- Experience some Greek humour (the main character is extremely energetic and melodramatic)
The Breakdown
It’s WW2 and the Nazis and Italians have occupied Greece. A bunch of the locals are queuing up for some rations; a big bowl of gruel. Back at home a family is listening to the forbidden BBC radio news trying to give the Greeks hope that the occupation will end.
From what you can see, the occupation looks brutal. Locals are scavenging for any food on the streets and people are starving (like the people in Germany as you’ll see in Little Dieter Needs to Fly). In addition, the German and Italian military occupation is obvious. Guards are watch the streets from watch towers whilst soldiers chase and shoot Greek rebels.
Thanasi, our protagonist, is our comic hero. He tries to avoid all association with the Greek resistance for fear of being caught by the Nazis. Typically, as this is a comedy, he always ends up being in the wrong place at the wrong time (kind of like Forrest Gump’s knack for ending up in famous historical moments).
Conclusion
What Did You Do in the War Thanasi is one of the best war comedies I have seen. It is driven by Thanasi’s constant high energy and melodrama (a bit like Guido in Life is Beatiful). Well worth a watch if you are looking for a good Greek film or a nice comedy.